RAF Typhoons go up against US 'enemies' to prepare themselves for warfighting scenarios
RAF aircraft and personnel have finished a 3,000-strong multinational exercise involving the planning and execution of mock combat missions in the United States.
Crews were tested in their ability to "fight" against US military aircraft that were taking on the role of enemy fighters in a realistic scenario.
The RAF contribution during Exercise Red Flag 24 consisted of Typhoon fighter jets, a Voyager air-to-air refueller, Rivet Joint electronic surveillance crews, engineers, air controllers, space specialists and a variety of support personnel.
The training exercise tested pilots and crews in their ability to conduct complex aerial combat drills, preparing them for challenging warfighting scenarios.
"It was great to see how we improved during the exercise. This was achieved primarily by enhancing our collective understanding of how to utilise each aircraft type in the most effective possible way," said Typhoon pilot Flight Lieutenant Tom Raeburn.
RAF personnel integrated with US and Australian F-35 Lightning fighters to identify "enemy" targets - and the Typhoon crews practised engagements with long-range missiles.
A team from UK Space Command deployed to embed into the US Air Force Warfare Centre.
"The space capabilities represented on this exercise are second to none. The value for us to integrate, learn, instruct and be evaluated cannot be overstated," said Squadron Leader Shaw, the UK Space Command team lead.
UK and US Rivet Joint crews are said to be completely interchangeable, and during the exercise RAF crews with recent operational experience mentored their US colleagues taking part.
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